Making the grade
Frogs dominant against Army, remain undefeated
Compiled by Carlos Alvarado

Quarterback: A
Brandon Hassell continued to show he is capable of leading this team to victory with two strong, confident throws into coverage that Bruce Galbert and Cory Rodgers turned into incredible catches. Hassell was 13-21 with two touchdowns and no interceptions. In his three starts, Hassell has thrown four touchdowns with just one interception. Gunn seemed to lift this team’s play to another level and showed that by immediately leading the offense into the red zone on his first possession since injuring his shoulder. However, the red zone problems continue.

Running Backs: A
Robert Merrill and Kenny Hayter had a strong performance. Merrill finished with 100 yards, and Hayter added 88, but both averaged more than six yards a carry. There were a few nice runs, especially one by Merrill in the second that resulted in a fumble. There was not much room to run with Hassell in the game as Army’s safeties took many of the teams cutback lanes away and were close enough to stop any long runs from taking place. They kept moving the chains and made Army pay for focusing on the run. Lonta Hobbs could have played, but with such a strong performance from Merrill and Hayter, Hobbs was given another few days to rest his ankle.

Wide Receivers: A
The tight ends and wide receivers, while not having any one player with a huge night, put together solid numbers as a group. They took advantage of the single coverage and made some huge plays. Bruce Galbert and Cory Rodgers made some great catches, including their first touchdown receptions. This is a very young, and talented receiving corps that had many of its members make a contribution in this game.

Offensive Line: B
The unit did a fine job as a whole. Army was stacked to stop the run, but TCU managed to average more than four yards per run, and the offensive line kept many of Army’s front seven in check. Shane Sims did a fine job of pulling and leading the way this week. However, failed blitz pickups and broken assignments prevented the offense from having any consistency, especially in the red zone.

Defensive Line: A+
Bo Schobel recorded three sacks and the rest of the line made Army one dimensional by not allowing the Black Knights to be consistent on the ground. The Frogs helped hold Army to 28 yards rushing. They were then able to tee off, allowing Schobel and company to put the pressure that allowed the TCU secondary to put the clamps on Army’s Alexander. Jeremy Breedlove made an impact with two sacks.

Linebackers: B+
Martin Patterson, Devon Davis and Josh Goolsby did not make spectacular plays, but they got the job done. Their ability to come in and make the smart play allowed the Frogs to shut down Army’s run game. They are not making any headlines, but they are a big reason why TCU’s defense is doing so well.

Secondary: A-
The big concern was how TCU would handle the size of Army’s Alexander, and the Frogs treated him no differently than any receiver they have faced this year. They still allowed a couple of big plays, but for the most part, Army was flustered and couldn’t find a way to get its playmaker to make a difference in the game. Chris Peoples did a fine job of stepping in for the injured Marvin Godbolt, and Brandon Williams continues to do a good job in coverage and against the run.

Special Teams: A
Mike Wynn gave little opportunity for Army to return any kickoffs with some fine kicks into the end zone. Nick Browne was back to his old self, connecting on both of his kicks. John Braziel had his best game of the season. The punt coverage unit shut down a potentially dangerous Army punt return team, while our punt return unit had only one penalty on its returns. It seems as if it is only a matter of time before Cory Rodgers breaks a big one.

Overall: A
The defense was dominant once again. The offense scored two touchdowns on some big plays, but the offense needs to score earlier and be more consistent in order to overcome teams that have much more talent. The offense gained more than 400 yards once again. However, the red zone problems continued, and the team will have to find a way to translate its high yardage turnout into more touchdowns.